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Discussions => Teaching and Learning => Topic started by: deltasalmon on January 31, 2013, 11:57:51 AM

Title: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: deltasalmon on January 31, 2013, 11:57:51 AM
I recently acquired a 1-row 4-stop in the key of C with 2 bass buttons. I have checked the bellows when no buttons are being held down and it seems to be pretty tight. I was learning to play the tune Donkey Riding (in C) and I am running into an issue of air efficiency in the bellows. This air button is different than what I'm used to and I'm still getting used to it but here is where I run into an issue.

In the last two lines of the tune (when played in C) the notes are | EDGG | C2C2 | All aside from the D are push notes. When I play and get to this part I have a few inches of bellows to work with and when I pull the D I use my air button to make sure that my bellows are to their extent which gives me enough to play the two measures but at the end my bellows are completely exhausted and when I restart the A part I have to push a dotted crotchet to start again with a C. Even when I go to the B part my first note is a pull so I can use the air key to give me some room but then there are a bunch of push notes in a row that bring me back to having no air in my bellows.

Is this something that other beginners have run into? I don't run into many air issues with my B/C anymore but I mostly play that with little to no use of the basses and its only a 2-voice.

Could this be the reeds and or reed valves? I have no idea what kind of reeds they are but the valves are leather. I'm again not sure of what the age is but if it helps maybe I could upload some pictures of the reeds later.
Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: EastAnglianTed on January 31, 2013, 12:01:48 PM
Is the air button a spoon?
Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: Lester on January 31, 2013, 12:09:23 PM
Air management on a one row is tricky especially for a beginner. You need to play very staccato basses as they are very air hungry.

I have just run through how I play Donkey Riding and note that I play what would be a pull D at the end A musics

| EDGG | C2C D || C>D EE|FD E2|

And when playing it I hit both bass and chord and the air button.
Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: rees on January 31, 2013, 12:14:33 PM
Further to Lester's advice. There is a little trick used by one-row players to gain more air. Grace notes in the opposite direction to the notes in the tune. Oscar Woods was a master of this technique. It takes a bit of getting used to but eventually becomes part of the overall rhythm.

Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: pikey on January 31, 2013, 12:17:39 PM
I find with my 1 row 4-stop that if I've got a long run of 'push' notes I add in a short 'pull' note (quaver?), and use the air spoon at the same time as the pull.
Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: pikey on January 31, 2013, 12:18:37 PM
Further to Lester's advice. There is a little trick used by one-row players to gain more air. Grace notes in the opposite direction to the notes in the tune. Oscar Woods was a master of this technique. It takes a bit of getting used to but eventually becomes part of the overall rhythm.

That's exactly the words I should have used to describe what I was trying to say!  ;)
Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: Graham Spencer on January 31, 2013, 12:30:35 PM
1-rows and 2-rows are very different in more than the obvious way; generally with a 1-row you have less bellows capacity (fewer folds) than with a 2-row and also the usually slightly larger cross-sectional area of a 1-row bellows provides lower air pressure, so air management is a real issue.  My 4-stop G absolutely gulps air, even though I've been over it with a fine toothcomb and made it as leakproof as humanly possible. The C is better owing to the slightly smaller reeds, though still more demanding than any of my 2-rows.
Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: Andrew Wigglesworth on January 31, 2013, 12:33:44 PM
Further to Lester's advice. There is a little trick used by one-row players to gain more air. Grace notes in the opposite direction to the notes in the tune. Oscar Woods was a master of this technique. It takes a bit of getting used to but eventually becomes part of the overall rhythm.

That's exactly the words I should have used to describe what I was trying to say!  ;)

same here!
Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: deltasalmon on January 31, 2013, 01:03:00 PM
It has an air button not a spoon. the inside has three compartments that look like [ \ / ] if that makes sense with one being air, one being chord and one being bass.


I think playing that D at the end would really help a lot. I'll try that and see how it works.

The grace note idea seems like it could really work out also. I'm sure that's something I could use if not in Donker Riding certainly in other places. Thanks for the advice!
Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: Rob2Hook on January 31, 2013, 01:21:32 PM
Another trick (and they require quite a few) is to drop in a few RH chords, usually just a fifth or third to get more air in or out.  It actually gets easier with practice - one of the problems whilst learning, even learning a new tune, is that one tends to play slower, so air just disappears whilst you're thinking where the next note is!

Rob.
Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: boxcall on January 31, 2013, 01:32:14 PM
Could be partly the melodeon if it's a Hohner Arietta (Sp.) I tried one of these and it was really air hungry
I could get more of a tune out of my old 1040 with leaky bellows. also as someone else mentioned in another thread that sometimes learning
you hold the note longer then you would when played with tempo. this I can relate to I can fit a lot more notes in with less air now.
Michael

Go one row !
Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: boxcall on January 31, 2013, 01:34:49 PM
I second what Rob2hook said !!
Title: Re: Air Efficiency in a 1-row 4-stop
Post by: Andrew Wigglesworth on January 31, 2013, 01:41:03 PM
Another place that you can get some air in is on the off-beat between the sections of a tune. In this case the off-beat between the end of the B and the beginning of the A to play a right-hand chord along with the basses (or not) or just to use the air button to rebalance things.

I've just tried the tune on a one-row to see what might be going on and I'm a bit stumped ...  ???

There seem to be several strategies at play. One is to get your fingers off the buttons quickly (most of the time that is, it leaves you with the option of leaving them on for certain notes and chords for effect). Another is using that bellows bounce. Bounce the bellows rather than simply shove them in and out for the notes. I'm not sure how better to describe it but it does seem to work in helping with all those on and off beat occasions where little bellows adjustments are made with the air button.

^ air button and right hand chords as Rob2hook says.
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